The Second Storm
by ever
Summary: It's apocalypse time in Sunnydale, only this time Buffy is not the same type of slayer as before... B/Aness (altho Spike and Riley lovers may enjoy it too)
1. Chapter One: Forget the Storm

Title: The Second Storm  
Author: 4ever  
Disclaimer: If they were mine do you think this would be happening?  
Feedback: I don't want to beg, but I'm begging you...  
AN: I took a little liberty with ages here. Let's say that at the end of Season Five Buffy was 20 and Giles was 50. I know he's probably not that old, but I need him to make him ancient enough to be senile and 70 doesn't really qualify. Also I put Wesley in the 30s around the end of Angel's second season. There is absolutely no way he is that much younger than Giles, but let's pretend.   
AN2: For those interested in writing detailed feedback. This fic was originally supposed to be a standard B/A run summarized by my own line ," Did she want eternal rest or was this life supposed to give her something more?" and the issue of age well summarized by the line from "The Bachelor" "Your wife is someone who looks into your face and still sees what you think you look like" or something like that. After I started writing I realized that I had a lot more issues to get through and so I started exploring the older relationship between Buffy and Giles and Buffy's interaction with the new slayer. The end result is that if it seems like there's no action with Angel and Buffy going on in the beginning be patient.   
  
Chapter One: Forget the Storm  
Buffy yawned and rubbed her eyes sleepily. Slowly, her buzzing alarm clock came into focus. The red numbers told her brain it was 6 o'clock, time to get up. Wearily, she reached for her sweats and hoped that the park would be deserted as she took her morning run.   
Grabbing a quick breakfast, she was out the door in seconds. The sound of her feet hitting the pavement felt good. She let her breath out slowly and then changed her pace from a relaxep lope to a quick run. Had Xander seen it, no doubt, he would have made some comment about rocket boosters.  
After a while the beat of her shoes against the pavement became regular and Buffy allowed herself to think. A quick shower, before she went off to buy some produce and visit Giles... Buffy let herself smile when thinking of him. He must be pushing 80 now. She went to visit him everyday as if he was one more part of the slayer inside her that slipped away as she grew older. He had always been a guiding force, her father figure. The years hadn't managed to change that, although they had altered his mind a little.  
Sometimes she would go and his thinking would be clear as a bell. They would talk and laugh, even, telling each other about their lives. Buffy's students at the karate dojo were a constant amusement to Giles and Buffy loved to hearing him rant about the weaknesses and follies that were funny in the other inhabitants of the old age home.  
Buffy shivered slightly to think of the day that she would be in one of those. At 50 she was still in shape and she often reminded herself that chinese masters got better as they grew older, like fine wine...  
The day that Giles had announced he was moving into an old age home Buffy had felt as if the world was going to end. It had been ten years ago and Buffy had pleaded with him to come stay with her, but at that point she had been in a relationship with another Riley Finn and they had all expected the engagement to be anounced anyday. Giles had gone to the home, so as not to intercede. By the time the relationship had flopped Giles had his cronies and British friends and was really quite happy making fun of them to Buffy. She visited often, almost everyday. Call it guilt.  
Sometimes she would go and his mind would be somewhere else. He would rattle on about the Codex and how he had mistranslated it and they had to figure out some way to get around the prophecy that she would die and stop the master. Buffy always tried to reassure him. She told him it was over and Xander had saved her and he would mutter something about mistranslation and rising again.  
Buffy ducked into her apartment and casually flipped the switch of her blinking answering machine. The light was now streaming through her wall of windows. She listened to Dawn's voice play on the message machine as she pulled her sweaty clothes off to take a shower. Dawn babbled on about having a great time in Europe with her husband and two kids and how she would call back later. Buffy smiled as she stepped out of her cool shower. The water hung in tiny droplets on her skin and she grabbed a towel to dry off.  
The white cotton blouse that she put on was simple and elegant even, with sleeves that went out as they journeyed to her wrists and a small white flower pattern around the modest neck. The skirt she put on was equally suited to a woman pushing 50, who didn't want to look like a Grandma. The entire outfit was ruined of course when she pulled out her cart, a metal thing with wheels that she took with her to go grocery shopping.  
She had to pick some things up for a dinner she was having with Willow and Xander that night. Earlier in his life Xander had been married to the ex-demon Anya. They had, had one child, a small boy with Xander's eyes and hair. Tragically, soon after the baby was born Anya had been killed in a car accident. Xander had gone to pieces and Willow had been the only one able to pick them up. They had moved in together, Willow helping to take care of Todd, the little boy, while Xander tried to reconstruct his life. The three of them, Buffy, Willow, and Xander, had falled into their old camraderie. Todd had long since grown up and was in Pittsburg, trying to make a name for himself in the steel bussiness, but Willow and Xander still shared an apartment.  
Buffy moved through her day with lightness and sprite. At the dojo she was a favorite among the students. When she put on her loose fitting uniform nothing on Earth could convince her that she wasn't 17 again.  
After a grueling class she ducked into the office for a drink of water.  
"Have you seen this storm they're having in LA?" Charlene, her partner in crime, asked her. Buffy looked up towards the blaring TV and suddenly flashed back to a night a long time ago when there had also been a storm...  
Buffy remembered the thunder and lightning as she had gracefully jumped off the platform. Also there was the sickening dread when she realized she was going to die and never see her life again, for real this time. Then there was the old conflict raging inside of her. Did she want eternal rest of was this life supposed to give her something more?  
Buffy shook her head to clear the morbid thoughts. "Forget the storm," she said, half to herself and half to Charlene. 


	2. Chapter Two: Shadows of the Storm

Chapter Two: Shadows of the Storm  
He hated doing this to her. Not only had she not seen him for the past thirty years, but... well it was just that everytime he went to see her it was about something bad, like the world ending, again.  
He waited until dark to approach her apartment, because he remembered from last time how un-vampire friendly it was. The first room upon entry was the living room, where a full panel of windows and sunlight woul greet you if proper precaution was not taken.  
Everything in the living room and in the whole apartment for that matter was white. The couch that faced the windows, the glass coffee table, the cabinets in the kitchen and even, Angel would have blushed if he could have, the sheets in her bedroom were white.  
The kitchen opened up on one side to the living room and perpendicularly to the dinning room. There was a small door in the kitchen, which he knew led to the hallway of her bedroom and bathroom. The last time he had needed her help he had been 'forced' to stay for a long time. The causes of that had been near disaster, which was one reason he had avoided coming to her for help. He had already checked into a motel wiht his crew to avoid further circumstances like that. Cordelia had complained about how it was painful enough to see Sunnydale in a vision, but actually going there? Angel had smiled and replied that if the end of days was coming Sunnydale was the place where it would happen. A slightly aged Wesley had agreed.  
So they were off. Wesley and Gunn had gone to contact the new slayer, who had been called when Faith died. Angel knew she lived on Crawford St. from a short conversation with Willow. He also knew that Buffy and the brit, named Victoria, apparently didn't get along. Something about the sense of the way Willow had said it told him better though.  
If Buffy was shocked to find Angel at her door she certainly didn't show it.  
"Come in," she had said, with incredible calm. She had motioned for Angel to take a seat on the white couch, while she went and stood behind the granite island in the kitchen. "Would you like something to drink?" she asked in that marvelously calm voice.   
Angel shook his head slightly. "I don't think you have my flavor."  
"Well, I'm certainly going to need something," he thought his vampire ears detected her saying. He watched her amazed at her gracefullness and beauty as she retrieved a glass and poured herself some wine.  
She was wearing a light T-shirt and sweats. She had remained in good shape and her skin was still smooth and tan, with some extra creases around the joints in her hands and elbows. Her hair was dark brown with glints of grey above the ears and one solitary streak of it that ran through her french braid. From her ears hung silver earring with little crosses on them. Her face, was more beautiful in age than in youth. Her hazel eyese still sparkled with vivacity and around the corners of her mouth and eyes were tiny creases. Crows feet! His Buffy had crows feet! That came from smiling a lot? He could imagine them crinkle up as her face lit into a smile. "So what brings you to Sunnydale?" Buffy said, interupting his observations and not leaving her sanctuary behind the counter. Angel got up, unwilling to talk to her from such a distance. "It's bad news isn't it?" Buffy continued. She looked down at her untouched glass of wine. "It always is." The wine was red, like blood. Angel placed his hands slowly on the cool granite countertop and looked down at the girl in front of him. His mind told him that she was almost 50, but in his heart he was almost 300 and so to him she was still just a little girl. Her hazel eyes looked up at him, daring him to break the news.  
"Cordy had a vision," Angel plunged right in. Buffy let out a sigh of relief it seemed. "The end of days is coming."  
Buffy looked back up at him. Her eyes sparkled with fun. "You sound like a guy in one of those scary movie previews,' it's coming,'" she told him.  
"Buffy," he hated to make that expression go away. "This is serious."  
"I know," Buffy told him. "You'll need to contact the other slayer--"  
"Already done," Angel said.  
"And anyone else who's ever helped us," Buffy told him. "We need full force here." She sounded like a commando. She started to fish around some baskets. "I have a contact number here for Riley," she said, as she hunted for the elusive slip of paper.  
"You still talk to him?" Angel asked.  
Buffy ignored the comment. "The Initiative, or what's left of it at any rate, still has a lot of manpower and that could be useful," she said. "We should also give Spike a ring."  
"Where is he?"  
"Last I heard? Somewhere in Alaska. He sent Dawn a postcard a while ago... I'll have to ask her."  
"Where is she?"  
"In Europe," Buffy said shortly. "Do we know exactly what's going to happen?" Angel shook his head, marveling at the amount of the slayer that was still in her. "Then come one," Buffy said, grabbing a long leather jacket that she hadn't worn in years. 50 year olds in leather coats, she allowed a smile to flicker across her face, before she told Angel they were going to Willy's. 


	3. Chapter Three: Running from the Storm

Chapter Three: Running From the Storm  
He hadn't changed. Well not drastically... Not as much as she had, Buffy reflected to herself as they walked from Willy's bar room to the motel of Wesley and Gunn.  
"Willy seems to be as helpful as ever," Angel said lightly, causing Buffy to wonder if he always sounded that cheery when the world was about to end.  
"Oh yeah, he's just a fountain of information," Buffy said, feeling ridiculous as sounding so juvenile when she was almost 50... 50! She wondered if Angel saw any remnant of the girl he had once loved when he looked at her. "Although it's probably a pretty simple thing, you know, just a lot of demons trying to kill everyone... probably more manpower than strategy... Kill first, plan later, type of thing..."  
"Well, we'll see what Wesley found," Angel said.  
Buffy stopped suddenly.  
"What is it?" Angel asked.  
"This... Xander and Willow live here..." Buffy's voice trailed off.  
"Live? In the biblical sense?"  
"No!" Buffy said giving him a look. "You're just like a kid."  
"Compared to who? I'll have you know we celebrated my 280th birthday," Angel said leaning over to joke with her. Buffy took a step back to put some air between them.  
"Should I go get them?"  
"I'm sure they'll be thrilled to ward off another apocalypse."  
"Well you know, we're so good at it we should do it proffesionally... oh wait, we do," Buffy said as she rang the buzzer.  
****************************  
"Hey did Buffy tell you about how we met Dracula?" Xander asked excitedly. Buffy took a moment to reflect on how she and Angel must be putting on a pretty good show of friendly indifference if even Xander was buying into the act.  
"And then she dusted him," Willow finished simply, as Buffy smiled in enough time to pretend she had listened to the whole account.  
Angel smiled back. "That's pretty impressive," he stated. His features were impossible to read.  
"What about you?" Buffy said quickly, before Xander had time to launch into his other tales of Glory, Frakenstein or any of the other subsequent famous monsters she had faced.  
"Pretty much the usual stuff," Angel responded lightly.  
"Guess LA just can't compare to the Hellmout," Xander said, then paused to consider his words.  
"Oh good. You're here. You took longer that you said you would and I got worried," a tall blonde woman said as she slid into Angel's embrace as if she belonged there. Although the blonde hair originally managed to fool her for a second Buffy soon realized this was not a clone of her. The woman had dark brown eyes and incredibly light skin. She was tall and slender and her name was Grace as Cordelia said, taking it upon herself to start the introductions.  
"We just stopped by to see an old friend and pick up some guys, Gracie," Angel explained to the woman now tight within his arms. Buffy felt herself draw inward as she wished there was someone like that to hold her.  
"What is it with you and blondes?" Xander's old hostility was quick in its return. In moments like these he wished Anya was still there to make an obvious yet completely akward comment about how Buffy was safe now since she had reverted to her natural brown. G-d, he missed her so much sometimes.  
"Speaking of old freinds," Cordelia said, with a slight edge," there's one waiting for you in the other room."  
As if on cue Spike burst into the room. "Hey you weren't going to fight the apocalypse without me?" he said in his loud British voice. He punched Xander lightly and waved to Willow, finally settling down in an empty chair next to Buffy only after he had dropped a kiss behind her ear. "It's beautiful in Alaska, love," he said taking her hands. "After this is over you, me and Lil Bit will go up there and do nothing but hunt polar bear..."  
"Dawn's married and in Europe I might add," Buffy said kindly and gently dis-entangling her hands.  
"Then just you and me, pet," Spike said, the setback to his plans apparently caused him no grief.  
Buffy smiled and glanced sideways at Angel. The girl, Grace, was still in his arms although the hold wasn't quite as tight as before.  
Love, pet... It had been so long since she and Spike had been anything but good friends that she had grown completely immune to the names. Angel , unfotunately, did not have that advantage.   
After her death, that time with Glory, Spike had looked after Dawn and when Buffy had come back he had show nothing but friendliness. All traces of his love seemed to have been buried or dissapeared. Once upon a time she had thought that he and Dawn would make a go of it, but just as they had reached the precipice or point of no return one or both of them had balked. Dawn because she couldn't adjust herself to loving a demon with no soul and Spike because after all this time he was still in love with Buffy. They had never talked about those times now, but the three of them had shared almost everything else. With Spike in Alaska and Dawn off having a grand old time with her husband and 2.2 kids, Buffy had missed those times.  
Angel wore a disgusted look.  
Grace looked slightly horrified.  
Wesely finally clapped his hands and brought all the attention back to him. Buffy took a second to wink to the new slayer, Victoria, an action which her watcherd Richard Dickens (of no relation to Charles) missed, but Angel caught. Buffy outwardly pretended to abhor the new slayer to gain the stuck up watcher's trust, while she used her friendship with him to infiltrate his slaying methods and draw suspicion away from the late night "training" sessions she had with Victoria.  
"The apocalypse is centered on one very important thing," Wesley said cautiously. "The master's rising," he paused for a minute. "There is a prophecy," he continued," that the slayer will die..."  
"Giles," Buffy breathed out slowly.  
"What?" Angel said immediately.  
"He's been talking, I thought it was nonsense... About the Codex and how he misinterpreted the phrophecy..."  
"The one about the master killing the slayer..." Angel mused.  
Suddenly Buffy looked up and hurriedly glanced towards Victoria. Her face was ashen. Buffy stood speechless. "No," she said," the prophecy was meant for me. It has to be for me..." She said tears springing to her eyes as she was unable to tear her gaze away from the young girls face.  
"But I'm the slayer now," Victoria said, softly. 


	4. Chapter Four: Shelter from the Storm

Chapter Four: Shelter from the Storm  
He had spent years not seeing her, hours telling himself that on any given night she could die and not come back this time. Yet, even after all that he couldn't stop the pain from ripping through him as he heard the prophecy of her death. It was only seconded by the torment of knowing that Buffy wanted to die and fufil the prophecy instead of Victoria.  
"Maybe I should go in alone?" Buffy said, turning to the group that had followed her from the motel to Giles room at the old age home.   
"Let me come with you," Angel said, suddenly. He had no consiousness or register of the chatter that Grace and Cordelia had tried to maintain in the car. He couldn't feel the pressure of Grace's hand in his. The only sensation he could grasp was that of Buffy's eyes digging into his face, trying to read the depths of his emotions. It was something no one had tried to do to him in a while and he let her see everything that he felt. Most of it was concern for her... A wish to see Giles... The pain of realizing that old times were gone and all that was left were those old bittersweet feelings of regret that time hadn't been spent more wisely...  
"I'd like that," Buffy said, quietly.  
"Me too," Victoria mumbled. "I want to go in too." Buffy turned to appraise the younger slayer.  
"Are you sure?" she asked her.  
"Yes." Buffy reached out to take her hand as the three of them dissapeared into the room.  
"Yes I was wondering when you were going to realize," Giles was saying to Buffy. "The master will rise again, but he'll be human."  
"That's what happened to Darla," Angel said quickly. "Wolfram and Hart, this law firm, brought her back to life, literally."  
"The master will be human, but he won't have human strength," Giles said. "In fact he will probably be stronger than he was as a vampire." Buffy and Victoria had their eyes hanging on every word from Giles mouth. "There's one vampire who will have the chance to make the master a vampire again. If you kill him then the master will have no more power and he will dissipate."  
"How do we find that vampire?" Angel asked.  
"You'll know," Giles told Angel. "Only you will know and you must tell Buffy." Angel nodded.  
"If the master becomes a vampire again he will be very difficult to defeat," Giles continued. "They want to open the Hellmouth."  
"Figures," Buffy said wryly.  
Suddenly his tone changed. "This is your end of days," he said suddenly to Angel.  
Angel seemed slightly shocked.  
"What does that mean?" Buffy asked.  
"It means... If we win... If I'm worthy... I get to be human," Angel said, staring down at his hands. Buffy took them into her own hands and turned them over. She could see the claddagh ring that he had always worn ever since that night...  
"You're going to be okay now," Giles said. It was more of a statement than a question. "I can go now?" he said, looking up at her.  
"What?" Buffy said, kneeling in front of the chair Giles occupied.  
"You told me after Angelus killed Jenny and I tried to kill him and almost died that you needed me and you couldn't do it without me. You'll be okay now?"  
The tears had come into Buffy's eyes. "Yeah," she barely managed to say. She stood up and bent over his elderly frame and dropped a kiss on his forehead. "Bye Giles. Thank you," she said, "for staying with me."  
Victoria went out first to join the group that had wisely moved down the hall. Then Buffy went out with Angel following and closing the door behind them. They stood for a minute in silence as they watched Victoria walk down the hall.  
Slowly the trickle of tears from Buffy's eyes strengthened and Angel drew her into his arms. They stood for another minute in a tight embrace. Angel trying to give strength to Buffy and stop his own heart from breaking because of the scenes that had just passed in front of him. Then, she drew back, dried her eyes and tried to look commando Buffy again.  
"I've learned how to stop," she told him. Angel only nodded. 


	5. Chapter Five: The Approaching Storm

Chapter Five: The Approaching Storm  
"I think I'm getting butterflies," Spike said, as he flopped down next to Buffy on the curb of the sidewalk.   
She took her gaze off the stars only long enough to look at him and say ," Now I know the world is going to end." Spike laughed and glanced towards the door of Angel's hotel room. Inside he could see the dark figures moving around finalizing plans, trying to say goodbye with lingering glances, and just stressing out.  
He looked back to Buffy," Are you going to be careful?"  
"I'll do what I have to."  
"That's not what I asked," Spike said, insisting on an answer. He let out a long breath. "She reminds you of Dawnie."  
"A little," Buffy admitted. "But I don't love her because she's like Dawnie. I love her for being Victoria."  
"Don't act like you only care about saving her," Spike suddenly said softly. Buffy looked up sharply with a wounded look in her eyes. "If he makes it through this the big poof is going to be human."  
"Would you like to be human?" Buffy asked suddenly.  
"Don't dodge the topic, hon. You don't do it very well." Buffy sighed.  
"He's involved," she said.  
"Love isn't brains. It's blood," Spike said," His and yours no one and nothing has ever stood a chance in between the two of you." Spike paused, letting his words sink in. "Be careful," he warned again and left her as he found, sitting on the curb staring at the stars.  
***************************  
"No, Riley, I understand," Buffy said into the mouthpiece, acutely conscious of Angel's eyes from across the room. "Look how can you help it if the demon population in Borneo suddenly sparked? .... No, it's fine... I don't even think they have all night planes from Borneo." There was a pause while she listened to his comment and then she laughed. "Yeah," she said softly. "I wish you were too," she said. "Yeah, he is... It's not like that... I know... Well, I-- It's just... Yes, I realize that... You know me." There was a long pause. "I-- Listen, Riley, I'm sorry, but that's not why. I really need to talk to you, but I can't do it now, or here," she said, turning her back to Angel. "I will call you. I'll tell them. Bye," she said, putting the reciever back in it's cradle. "The Initiative's a no go," Buffy anounced to the room, "but Riley sends his love."  
"How is he?" Xander asked, rather absent-mindedly. He was preoccupied sharpening a wicked looking stake.  
"He's good," she said. "He offered to try and catch a plane back after their action over there, but I told him that wasn't neccesary... It isn't neccesary, right?" she said, looking for aproval. "We're going to be okay without him." She was expecting Willow to answer, but Angel did.  
"I don't know," he said. "Are you going to be alright without him?" his voice had a hard edge to it. She felt annoyance rise in her throat.  
"I wasn't asking you," she said, rather pointedly. Angel opened his mouth to make a response, but he was cut off by a look from Buffy, as she crossed the room to join Victoria. "Can I talk to you outside?" Buffy said, softly. Victoria nodded and followed Buffy outside. Angel watched them go.  
"Should I get out the dust buster to vaccum the pieces of your ego out of the carpet?" Cordelia asked, the years not having done anything to soften her tongue.  
******************************  
Buffy gazed up at the stars. If she closed her eyes she imagine herself up there in the sky. The sense of freedom was overwhelming... It made her yearn for it...  
"I keep asking myself how I could let this happen?" Buffy said, not looking at Victoria.  
"It's not your fault," the Brit said. "Prophecies happen."  
"Do you ever wonder if they have good prophecies for slayers?" Buffy asked. "I think it goes against some code."  
"I know," Victoria said.  
"Know what?" Buffy shooke her head.  
"That you told Angel not to tell me who the vampire was, that you're trying to protect me..."  
"Victoria..."  
"Wait, I want to say this. Thank you. Thank you for trying to protect me. There's no one," Victoria stopped to wipe her eyes. "No one has ever tried to protect me, because I'm the slayer. I'm not supposed to need it, but you realize that I do. That I did. And you saw that I needed to take breaks and make friends and I'm so sorry that my watcher wasn't more like you... But that doesn't matter now. That prophecy is for me, not you. You may have the strength and the heart, but you're not the slayer. A slayer is primal, a hunter, almost a creature even... You aren't that," Victoria choked. "I am... You have friends and loves and ties to this world and I have the hunt and instict and the darkness that tells me this is my time to die."  
"I won't let that happen to you," Buffy said, fiercely. "We'll work on this. You'll enroll in school and make friends..."  
"You're not listening," Victoria said. Buffy sighed. "I'm going to get a drink," the young slayer said, heading down to the vending machines. Buffy kicked a stone. Then, she had an epiphany and darted inside the hotel room.  
"Angel, outside now," she said, her voice brimming with anger. Angel followed slowly.  
"Round two," Cordelia clucked.  
**************************  
"Just what do you think you're doing?" Buffy yelled, as she paced up and down the pavemnent like a caged lioness. "I told you not to tell her. I am running this thing. Me," she said pointing to herself. "Don't come in here and go behind my back unless you're looking for a stake in yours," Buffy said, coming to halt in front of Angel.  
"I didn't tell her," he said.  
"Then who did?" Buffy said. Some of her anger had dissapeared with that statement.  
"Maybe she figured it out." Buffy sat down on the curb and sighed. "And while we're on the subject," Angel said, sitting down next to her. "Let's talk about 'going-behind-backs' and being in charge..." Buffy looked at him. "Who died and left you in charge?" Buffy made a sound of disgust. "I brought this problem to your attention. I'm the one who's going to live or die here- -"  
"Die?" Buffy said, sarcastically. "You can't die. You're already dead."  
Angel ignored the comment. "And let's talk about going behind my back... You want to explain the whole Riley thing, because seriously as your partner I'd like to know why you even thought of calling the Initiative in... I'd like to seriously question your motives on that one. Really Buffy, using the apocalypse as an excuse to get back together with your ex? And what is with these moodswings? One minute you're in my arms and the next you're threatening me? What's going on here?"  
Buffy looked at him. Her eyes filled with rage. "I called the Initiative to help, not to get back together with Riley. And the reason I asked to talk to him later was because when we broke up... It wasn't official, or a 'clean-break' as Xander called it. So I finally wanted to apologize! And moodswings? Can you say pot and kettle? When you first came you were actually, like flirting with me! And then I come and see you have a girlfriend!"  
"So you're jealous and by the way that is a really loose definition of flirting."  
"Oh like you aren't and weren't of Riley and Xander and everyone else."  
"So, because I finally got a girlfriend you get to be all commando?"  
"I'm in charge because I'm the slayer. You are a vampire," Buffy said, delibaretely intending to wound him. She could see the hurt register in his eyes. The only thing she really wanted to do was throw herself in his arms and tell him that she was lost and confused and scared... and had actually thought of using the apocalypse to get back together with an ex-- only it wasn't Riley.  
"Oh yeah Slayer," Angel said, putting his fingers beneath her chin and tilting her head upwards. "Where's your watcher?" Before Buffy realized what was happening her hand was raised and brought down swiftly. The resulting slap echoed through the night. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean..." Angel said. Buffy got up and ran.   
  



	6. Chapter Six:Calm Before the Storm

Chapter Six: Calm Before the Storm  
"Angel?" Grace said tentatively. His back was away from her. He sat at the desk in Wesley's cheap motel room with his head in his hands. The light from the lamp sihloutted his dark frame, causing Grace to reflect that he had learned how to live with the absensce of the sun so well that any brightness caused him to look out of place. Except that which emanated from the Slayer. From the minute she had first seen the woman they all called Buffy she had realized how what people mean when they say 'you're only as old as you feel.' Whenever the Slayer entered the room it seemed to light up and Angel seemed comfortable in that illumination, but nothing else. "Angel?" Grace said again. "Are you okay?" He still wasn't responding. Grace had two kids that she had left home with her ex-husband she had always been possesive and protective of them... It was hard being a single mother. Now she transferred those feelings to Angel. "Did she hurt you?" Grace said, taking hold of his shoulders and forcing him to look at her.  
"No," Angel said, looking up at Grace as though he had never seen her before. "I hurt her."  
"Oh," Grace responded, noticing the tear stains on Angel's face. This was upsetting him. "Well I'm sure you can apologize and..."  
"No I don't think she'll forgive me," Angel cut her off.  
"Don't be ridiculous. It couldn't have been that bad," Grace said, lying down on the spare bed. Angel stood up and regarded her.  
"It was," he said simply. Grace sat up and took a deep breath.  
"If she loves you as much as I think she does then she'll forgive you."  
"What?"  
Grace got up and started to walk the length of the bed. Angel continued to watch her carefully. "C'mon," she said. "I was a fifteen year old girl once. I wanted to be swept of my feet by prince charming and fall hopelessly in love... soulmates and all that stuff."  
"What happened?" Angel asked, thinking of Grace's ex-husband. He had met him once. They hadn't gotten along well.  
"That's not important," Grace said. "What is, is that I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I stood in the way of you and her being together... The way that you look at her, and she at you... It's what I always wanted," Grace finished hopelessly.  
"Gracie," Angel started to say.  
"You know it's true," Grace interupted him. "Go get her." She sat down on the bed defeated.  
Angel knelt in front of her. "I love you," he said.  
"Like you love Cordelia," she responded.  
"It's a little different," Angel said, coaxing a smile out of her.  
"Can I talk to her first?" Grace said looking up at him. For the first time Angel realized that she was crying and strangely he felt his own eyes begin to wet.  
"Please," he said, kissing her on the forehead. She got up, wiped her eyes and exited the room, leaving Angel alone with his thoughts. He sat down on the bed.  
"Don't tell me I've interupted quality-brood-time," Cordelia said, as she came in.  
"Hey," Gunn said following her. "If this goes down right you may brood no more. Sunlight does marvels for those blues."  
"I don't think these blues are sunlight-extinguishable," Angel said.  
****************************  
"Buffy?" Grace called out into the darkness. Victoria had told her that Buffy was over by the pool. "Buffy? Are you there?"  
The woman stepped out of shadow. Grace hadn't even seen her there before. She blended in as well as Angel. That was why Grace had to do this. Buffy stood akwardly, balancing on one leg and then the other. Grace sat down at one of the picnic tables and motioned for Buffy to do the same. The two women stared at the calm waters of the pool for a minute.  
"You--" they both started at the same time.  
"I'm sorry. You go first," Buffy said, smiling at the woman across the table.  
"You're probably wondering why I'm here," Grace said. Buffy nodded. Grace decided to cut to the chase. "Angel and I, we broke up," she said.  
"Because of me?" Buffy said. Grace nodded. "You shouldn't have done that," she said. Grace looked confused. "Angel and I have caused enough break-ups than any one couple in entitled to."  
"But he loves you," Grace said, wondering why she could literally feel the heartbreak coming out of Buffy in waves.  
"But it can't work with us. It works with you and him. That's what's important."  
"What's important is that you love him," Grace said, persistently. "I'm his ex-girlfriend and even I can see that... If he becomes human..." Grace let her voice trail off.  
"That's a big 'if'" Buffy said. "I don't want to set myself up for that dissapointment."  
"But you already have," Grace said. "I've seen the way you look at him... He won't fail. There's no one who deserves to be human more than him."   
Buffy looked out across the pool. So why was this stranger trying to make her and Angel get back together... Was it that apparent? Maybe it was worth it..."  
"What were you going to say before?" Grace asked.  
"I was going to say you've probably got the most riding on this," Buffy told her.  
"The curse?" Grace asked. Buffy nodded. "It doesn't apply to us," Grace said, looking down at her hands. Buffy processed the information. "I guess you've got the most riding on this now."  
**********************************  
Buffy sat by the pool side contemplating Grace's words. Suddenly she looked up. "Are you going to be able to lurk as well in sunlight?" she asked the empty air. Angel came out from the shadows and grinned sheepishly. "Or shall I say as badly?"  
He came and sat in the chair recently vacated by Grace. He was uncomfortable, rubbing his hands together silently. "Did Grace talk to you?" he finally asked.  
Buffy nodded and sighed. "I guess we both said things to each other that we probably shouldn't have," she said.  
"Buffy, I..."  
"You're sorry," Buffy said, holding up hand to silence him. "I am too... about the vampire thing, and the taking charge, and not telling you that Riley and I have never spoken since he left me about thirty years ago," she took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for not explaining that Spike and I have become friends and the nicknames don't mean anything, sorry that I pretended not to care that you might be human, sorry I gave you the impression that I don't care whether I live or die. I'm sorry I threatened you and I'm sorry for the moodswings. Sorry for not calling you every once and while to see how you were. I'm sorry that I thought Grace might be a clone of me and was too stuck up at first to realize that you love her for her. I'm sorry that I haven't told you that I love you yet this year and that I didn't the year before that and the year before that. I'm sorry for that time with Faith and that I didn't tell you so when you came to apologize to me. I'm sorry I never thanked you for coming to me after my mother's death. I'm sorry that I didn't leave a message for you that time when I died, sorry that Xander's such a jerk and that Cordelia makes comments about us when I'm not looking. And I'm sorry for the millions of other things, which I'm sure will come to me five seconds after I finish this speech," Buffy said, finishing.  
Angel looked at her. "I hurt you..." he started to say.  
"In retaliation," Buffy added. "That's a human thing. You should get used to doing it." She smiled softly. Angel found himself smiling back.  
"I'm sorry for making judgements," Angel said," and not thinking about what you were going through with Giles and Victoria and the prophecy..."  
"Can I chalk some of it up to menopause too?" she said.  
"Buffy..."  
"No, it's something I want to talk about, " Buffy said. "If we make it through this... you'll be human. That means sun and real food and no curse... But I'm the one who can't give you what you deserve now..."  
"We don't know that," Angel said.  
Buffy looked at him. "How many fifty year old women give birth succesfully? It's almost unheard of."  
"It doesn't matter," Angel said.   
"And what about the age thing?" Buffy said. "I look old."  
"I think you're beautiful."  
"But you always think that and what about company... Grace was younger and the people you deal with usually are probably younger... I... I can kid myself but when it comes down to it I'm old."  
"First off I would like to remind you that no matter what you say I'm still more than four times your age. It never bothered you before that I looked older."  
"That's because you were really cute," Buffy said.  
"And you're really beautiful."  
"What about the company thing?"  
Angel sighed. "Did Grace tell you how we met?" Buffy shook her head. "She works at a nursing home," Angel said. "I once saved a couple of residents there from a demon. And I went to visit them a lot afterwards. The truth is I feel like the time when I started living was with you... not in Ireland... I had Wesley and Cordelia and Gunn, but I wanted to talk to other people the same 'age.' That's how I met her and we seemed to find a common ground on the elderly and we got to be friendly..."  
"And she was just getting over her divorce," Buffy surmised. "And you were surprised to find someone younger than forty that you could actually empathize with." Angel nodded. "But my question is answered."  
Angel moved over to cradle her face in his hands. "All I really want is you."   
"Now why wouldn't you ever believe me when I told you that?" Buffy asked. 


	7. Chapter Seven: The Eye of the Storm

Chapter Seven: The Eye of the Storm  
The master was still nowhere to be seen, but Buffy didn't have time to reflect on that now. They were all being swarmed by vampires, who were trying to protect their center. Buffy herself was trying to fend off atleast three at once. The box in the middle of the room was where the master was going to rise, but she was more preoccupied tryint o find out which vampire Giles had been talking about thatn trying to stop the raising.  
When the winds began to blow strongly around the box they all realized the ritual had begun. Action froze for several moments before the master stepped out. He wasn't old anymore. He was young and even, one might say, attractive. He seemed to nod towards Buffy as if he knew she was going to be his opponent, but before Buffy could resume a fighting stance Victoria had charged the master and the vamps were on Buffy again.  
"Angel!" she called out to him.  
"On it," Angel said effectively ditching his vamps only to be asaulted by more as he tried to break up the fight between Victoria and her human enemy.  
Buffy tried to twist and turn to see how the fight was going, but her own assailants demanded all of her attention... and they weren't nice about it. She could feel the blood dripping down her temple and had various bruises on her ribs, but her resolve was still strong and this fight was going to be one she won.  
Meanwhile, Victoria tried to duck the master's blows, cursing herself for running forward in such haste. Why did he have to be so strong after being dead for so many years? Her back was turned to Angel, but she knew that any minute now he would be finished with his vampires and then he would help her, if only she could hold out that long. What she didn't realize was that for every vampire the scoobies staked two more came into the fray.  
Angel watched in horror as the Master slowly weakened the Slayer. His own concern for her and how Buffy would feel if she died only made it more difficult to concentrate on the fight. Suddenly, an unlucky trip sent Victoria off-balance before she could regain it the master had his hands tightening around her throat. At first she kicked and wriggled to get free, but her disrupted supply of oxygen eventually made it impossible for her to do anything but hang there. Her eyes were wide with fear.  
They bore into Angel's own. He morphed into game face and drew on an untapped reserve of strength to throw his attackers off him. He ran towards the Master, but, again, before he could get close enough heavy weights grasped him and held his arms and legs down. He couldn't move anything besides his neck and head.  
Suddenly Giles's words came back to him. "You will know. Only you. And you must tell Buffy." But if he did it... It might result in the taking of a human life and how could he be worthy of humanity... But Victoria was so scared and so young and what did she ever do to deserve this?  
"Buffy!" he called out helpless and lost, but it was too dangerous for her to even spare him a glance. So with no further thoughts he craned his neck and sank his fangs into the Master's neck.  
"Just enough," he said to himself. "Just until he lets go of her. Then, you won't kill him... But what if they make you turn him?" Angel couldn't even think about that last thought. Even as he saw the Master's arm weakening and he realized that Victoria was on the ground coughing for air, he started struggling to break free of his captors. But there must have been at least five vampires holding him. They were taking no chances. Try as he might he couldn't shake any of them.  
"Buffy!" he called again, too dazed to do anything else.  
A sixth vampire produced a knife and made a small incision on Angel's arm and then guided the Master to drink. Angel couldn't think. He felt like he couldn't breath, but no amount of air would give him the oxygen he needed. When the vampires thought that the Master had, had enough a leader called for the other vampires to move out. They all left quickly hurling Angel against the wall.  
The gang picked themselves up and looked around slowly. None, but Victoria and Angel saw what had happened. Victoria rose slowly, filling her lungs with deep breaths and gazing carefully at Angel.  
He was also orienting himself. He placed one hand, the one with the cut, on the wall to steady himself. His foot hit something on the floor. It was a stake. "Kill the vampire and the master will dissapate," Giles had said.  
Buffy was on him in seconds.  
"What are you doing?" she said, prying the stake, which he had been about to plunge into his heart, from his grasp.  
"I didn't mean to do it... Now I'll never be worthy... Never be worthy... Have to die to be worthy..." Angel mumbled incoherently. The dazed and confused look had not left his eyes.  
Victoria spoke slowly and delibarately. "He turned the Master."  
A look of shock lept into Buffy's eyes. Pain ripped across her face. She couldn't do it... Not again. This was too much... and she had told Giles that she would be okay without him...  
"We'll work something out," she tried to tell Angel. "Don't worry. It'll be okay."  
"What?!" Xander yelled. "He turned the master! What do you mean it will be okay?!" The room erupted inot anger, some defending Angel and others prosecuting him. Buffy tried to explain to Xander whiel making sure to keep stakes and all other pointy objects out of Angel's grasp.  
"Stop it!" Victoria yelled suddenly. Her body was shaking with a mix of fear, anger and shock. "Just stop it," she said, more calmly, but also heart-breakingly sad. "He did it to save me."   



End file.
